Gatling gun

noun

Gat·​ling gun ˈgat-liŋ- How to pronounce Gatling gun (audio)
: a machine gun with a revolving cluster of barrels fired once each per revolution

Examples of Gatling gun in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Another solution being touted is more old-fashioned: a modern version of the Gatling gun called the M61 Vulcan, which was developed decades ago. Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2024 The automated Phalanx system features Gatling guns that can fire up to 4,500 20-millimeter rounds a minute, engaging projectiles or other targets at extremely close range. Brad Lendon, CNN, 2 Feb. 2024 The same gun models were used by private security forces, federal and state troops, and police departments to put down labor strikes; in 1892, the Pennsylvania National Guard used Gatling guns to end a strike at the Carnegie Steel Company. Audrey Kurth Cronin, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2023 The oak trees around us are spewing acorns like bullets from a Gatling gun. John Kelly, Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2023 Sitting Bull and other Native American warriors seeking to assert their original rights to the land harassed the surveyors trying to build the railroad, though the Gatling guns of the U.S. Army mostly protected the workers. Mickey Butts, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023 The weapon combines a 20-millimeter Gatling gun that fires at a rate of either 3,000 or 4,500 shots per minute, with radar to search for and track targets. Larry Greenemeier, Scientific American, 19 July 2010 And, hey, Snoop Dogg shows up with a massive cowboy hat and a Gatling gun—so what could possibly go wrong? Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 7 June 2022 In Weapon Systems, each with one 20-millimeter Gatling gun for defending against air and surface threats. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 25 Mar. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Richard J. Gatling †1903 American inventor

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Gatling gun was in 1867

Dictionary Entries Near Gatling gun

Cite this Entry

“Gatling gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gatling%20gun. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on Gatling gun

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!